Remain: The Demon's Melody
by JasmineRiddleXAngelOfDarkness
Summary: She came unexpectedly for both the young Earl and his butler. How she affected their lives, how she made two souless creatures become one. Well, she knew all along...


A/N: Hello! I am not dead, yet! LOL This is a Kuroshitsuji fic I have been working on for the past 3 months. Count them- 1, 2, 3. I am so proud of this piece!

Per usual I don't own any of the below, aside from Evangeline my OC and the plot.

Hope you enjoy after my long ass hi-atus!

Title: Remain: The Demon's Melody

As usually Read, fave, and review if you so desire to!

Ja~!

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The bell to the dusty shop reverberated off of the darkened walls and back to the young Earl and his butler. "You asked to see me, Undertaker?" rang out Ciel's voice. Laughter bubbled around the room and out appeared the silver haired mortician from behind a standing coffin.

"Yes, I did." Undertaker sang out as he moved closer to the Earl and hunched down to his level. The scars on the mortician's unusually youthful face were more prominent in the sunlight from the window and his cat-like eyes, which are typically hidden, were revealed. "There is this pretty young thing outside my shop, but alas she is still alive. I would like to add her to my collection," he sighed heavily and gestured to the funeral lockets strung around his cloak with his unusually long black nails. "But I feel it is you who will get more use out of her than I will."

Ciel pulled away from the man in shock and mild disgust. "What girl?" he demanded. The odd man smiled once more and pointed out the window toward an emaciated girl staggering around the walkway just in front of the shop.

Sebastian's eye brow raised in confusion. "What is it that you mean, Undertaker?"

Undertaker smiled crookedly. He once again leaned into Ciel's face and whispered. "Can she save you, where Sebastian cannot?" Huffing in the man's face Ciel backed away and turned to leave when the man grabbed his arm. "Remember that collar to which you cling to, boy."

Pulling away, Ciel stomped out of the shop slamming the door open to reveal the busy London streets. Sebastian was quick on his heels until they noticed the girl Undertaker had mentioned in a heap almost directly outside of the shop, muttering nonsense in French.

The cold England alley's she most likely slept in had not been kind to her. Her blonde hair dull, knotted, and frayed, her face thin and unappealing to the eye. Her body hadn't fared any better; she was emaciated from lack of food, her ribs jutting out beneath her thin yellowing garments. It was her eyes that caught the young nobleman as he passed her. Cerulean eyes that rivaled his own; bright blue that reminded him of his mothers.

"_Do you need help, Miss?_" The butler, she would later know as Sebastian, spoke to her in flawless French. Evangeline nodded her head yes, both reluctantly and much too eager. She was cautious of the young man with the black clad butler but as she was lifted into strong arms, carried, and sat gently in a covered carriage by the man, she felt safer than she had in a long time.

From there the young nobleman and Evangeline sat in the carriage. She, grateful for the warmth; he, seemingly bored of the same old thing. Ciel was a young child hiding behind the façade of a man. His slate grey hair hung in front of his eyes, an expression of childish boredom upon his china-doll features, she then noticed the blackened silk covering his right eye. She wondered if the regal blue eye missed its twin, wondered what could have happened to cause such an injury.

As the carriage came to a gentle halt, Evangeline realized she had been slightly crying. She didn't know why but she wanted to reach out and hug the small child in front of her right then. She started to wipe the tears away as his butler opened the carriage door and offered her his hand. His smile was gentle and made her heart flutter but as she grasped it she felt her vision sway and the world twirling around her.

It took her a few days to recover but when she awoke, she saw the triangular face of the butler looking down at her, gently pressing his glove covered hand to her forehead. His midnight hair enclosed his tender features, his eyes the color of smoldering rosewood, the thin line of his elegant eyebrows were pulled together in slight agitation, the corners of his pale lips turned down.

"How is she, Sebastian?" a child-like voice spoke from the other side of the room. Evangeline blinked her eyes twice and attempted to get up.

"_I'm alright._" She spoke softly as Sebastian helped her sit properly. "_Thank you, for taking me in._" Her French echoed in the room, eerily hanging on the curtains as the rain poured outside.

"Do you speak English?" was the young Earl's irritated response. Evangeline bit her lip solemnly and looked down at her hands.

"N-not we-well eno-ough," she stuttered out. Sebastian looked coldly at his master.

"Young Master Ciel, as your tutor and butler, I must say that your actions just now were unbecoming. _Please excuse him, I have attempted to teach him the French language, but it seems my skills of language teaching are not adequate._" He bowed slightly and smiled. "_Would you mind teaching him?_"

Flabbergasted, Evangeline points to herself with her mouth slightly ajar; Sebastian smiles once again and nods. "_Yes! If there is anything I can do to repay him and you for taking me in and letting me be a burden upon you, I will._"

"_Thank you for your help. I am quite sure I can find you something to help out with around the house as well._" Sebastian turned to grab a tea cup and pour some of the hot liquid into it for her. "_What is your name anyway, Miss?_"

"Evangeline, wha-at is yo-ours?" Sebastian smiled gently and handed her the cup and a napkin.

"_I am Sebastian, and that unruly boy over there is my young master, Ciel Phantomhive._" Evangeline's delicate blond eyebrows pulled together.

"Ph-Phantom-hi-hive? _As in Vincent? From the Funtom Company?_" She then looked at Ciel and gasped. Tears sprang to her eyes and she turned her face from him.

Sebastian's smile slowly faded into a low scowl. "_Yes,_" he said. Evangeline turned her face back to face the butler.

"_I was to be Lord Vincent's, well his wife's, French tutor. When I arrived here I was told that all the Phantomhive's had died._" She then looked at Ciel, a mournful look in her eyes. "_Including their young son." _

"_So, you were originally supposed to be a Phantomhive servant?" _Evangeline nodded some tears spilling down her face.

"What are you two talking about? Why is she crying?" Ciel's patience of being excluded had run dry.

Sebastian's dark brows furrowed and he pinched the bridge of his nose where his eyes grazed it. A heavy sigh was heard before the loyal servant translated the previous conversation to the young Earl. Ciel looked at the fragile French woman wondering if her story was true.

"What was the name of the woman you were to be tutoring?" came out his steely voice.

"Lady Rachel," Evangeline said, more steadily than her previous English attempts.

"What ship were you to come over on? What day? How long was your stay to be?" Ciel started badgering her with questions to the point where the young lord's face was flushed with anxiety. "Who else knew about your stay here? What part of the language were you to be teaching her?" The whole time Evangeline just sat on the fluffy bed, one hand near her flushed lips, the other gripping the pristine sheets until her knuckles were the same bone color. "Who was the-?"

"My lord, stop. Let her answer." Came Sebastian's calm voice over his master's frantic one. Ciel's royal blue eye blinked once, signaling his return of control. Sebastian then turned to Evangeline. "_Did you understand his questions?_" She answered with a nod. "_Please answer to the best of your ability, for my master's sake._"

Evangeline nodded once more and took a shaky breath. "The Caspian, from home to London, then c-carriage ride to the home." Her English shook in her voice as she tried to speak for the benefit of the young Earl. "I to get here on Dec-em-ber, Vincent said son's birth-day. I remain per-per-men-ant-ly." She let out another shaky breath and wiped the stress off her face. "Only Vincent and Rachel knew. I to teach Rachel writing and speaking."

Ciel growled out a sigh and ungraciously sat in a nearby chair. He then rubbed his right temple and looked at Evangeline. "It was you. You were supposed to be at the dock that morning we went shopping, but the ship was delayed. If only we had waited…" The words weren't meant for anyone to hear, as they were spoken just above a whisper.

But hear them Evangeline did.

Slowly Evangeline got up and kneeled before the young man. She put her head on his small pale knees and wrapped her arms around his slim waist. "I'm sorry." At her words and action Ciel's eye widened and before he realized it he was embracing her back.

It had been over a year since that day. Ciel learned French fluently, earning his toy company a campaign in France. Although, Evangeline felt she had gained much more.

Over that year Sebastian had been able to teach Evangeline basic chores with the help of the already existing staff and had promoted her to head maid within a month of her residency due to her competence. It was an effortless integration as Mey-Rin, Bard, Finny, and Tanaka had all taken her in with open arms.

There was just one person who had some trouble adjusting.

Grateful for the extra help Sebastian had seen Evangeline as nothing more than just an extra set of hands. It was as she and Ciel got closer that he had an unnerving feeling in his gut.

"Ciel, you will never learn how to pronounce the words if you do not try." Came Evangeline's voice from beyond the closed office door.

A knowing grunt was heard from Ciel. "Then why are they so bloody hard to pronounce then!"

"Because the words are strange to you that's why." Was Evangeline's giggled response. She watched Ciel pout as she placed the crumpled worksheet back in front of him. "Try this line one more time. If you say it right I'll make you double chocolate cookies with mocha espresso for dessert."

Ciel looked at the blond sitting next to him with a sly grin. "Alright, and if I don't pronounce them correctly?" He watched Evangeline's smile widen.

"You have to help me with the tea dishes, agreed?" She gracefully placed her hand in front of the Earl who took it shaking it gently.

"Agreed."

Ciel then looked at the line he was supposed to read aloud before doing so, when Sebastian came in with the afternoon tea tray. He was about to speak but Evangeline stopped him with placing a finger next to her lips, silently tell him not to. Sebastian nodded in response.

He took in the duo before him. Evangeline, now fully recovered from her ailments was dressed in a humble blue gown, her blond hair now healthy and flowing off her shoulder in a cascade. Her blue eyes alight with happiness, her smile bright and nearly infectious. Ciel had his head bent over a piece of paper mouthing the foreign words to himself.

It looked too natural to Sebastian. It almost seemed like she was supposed to be there all along.

"Alright, young master, enough studying! How is the line said?"

"Bonjour, je suis Ciel Phantomhive." Ciel looked at Evangeline, confident that he had answered correctly.

Evangeline bit her lip. "You were so close!" She pointed to the instructional sheet she had made up. "You must say your last name first, then your first name. It is said like this: Bonjour, je suis Phantomhive Ciel." She stroked his cheek as he frowned and she smiled at him. "You did pronounce the French words right so I'll still make you dessert, but you didn't get the line correct so you still have to help me with the tea dishes."

Ciel sighed in defeat and looked at Sebastian, who just smirked at his master. "A deal is a deal."

It had been months since Sebastian had the restless feeling concerning Evangeline. Life had returned to normal, well as normal as it could be. Evangeline was in the kitchen washing the dishes, which the clumsy Mey-Rin was supposed to wash. She smiled and leaned against the countertop as she did so. She hoped Sebastian would come down soon to finish up the night. Drying the china and carefully putting them back in the cupboard, Evangeline turned to sit in a chair around the marble island and wait for him.

While resting a bit Evangeline noticed something move past the window. The other servants were all in bed, the animals were all in their pens, and Pluto was in the house in a separate room. There was no one within the manor itself that could be outside on such a cold winter's night, unless there was a messenger from the Queen. Figuring it to be just a wild bird, Evangeline put on a small pot of tea for her and Sebastian to share, although he never drank it anyway, and sat back down to wait.

The young master was dressed and already fast asleep as the butler exited his room. Sebastian had been with the young Earl for three years, ever since that day. The day Ciel accidentally annulled his place in heaven. He remembered the days in the beginning, teaching a ten year old how to be a successful Earl caused the man much grief, but he knew in the end the work was worth the meal to come.

Suddenly large echoing booms were heard throughout the manor. A glass bottle smashed through the kitchen window and crashed onto the floor. Fire erupted from the spot and quickly crept from the floor, to the cupboards, and to the ceiling, quickly consuming the room in flames. Evangeline heard several more crashes, and raced from the kitchen through the servant's quarters to alert the slumbering staff. Banging on each door, barging in regardless of gender, Evangeline tried to quickly awaken each of them.

"Wha's goin' on, Eva?" Bard asked hurriedly, while quickly grabbing several preloaded rifles on instinct. Evangeline quickly shook her head and rushed over to the elder Tanaka's room quickly shaking the sleeping Japanese man awake.

"We're under attack, we are!" Shouted Mey-Rin over the loud rustling of feet from the five of them.

"Eva, go make sure the master is safe! We'll take care of the intruders!" Finny said, as he and the others rushed to find an exit. Little did she know that it would be almost impossible to leave.

As she rushed to find a way to the floors above her another window smashed and gunshots echoed loudly in her ears. Unknowingly, Evangeline let out a scream and raced as fast as her legs could take her up the main staircase. She had hoped that Sebastian would have heard the commotion and immediately found an exit for Ciel and himself, but she had to be sure. The first floor, which held the study and the parlor, were already engulfed in flames. Each room a blazing doorway with taunting cackles and spits.

The second floor hadn't fared much better, as the sports and music rooms were smoldering from the inferno below, slowly being consumed. The floor with the bedrooms residing on them was Evangeline's only hope of finding her master.

"Ciel, Ciel! Where are you?" She called out franticly to him, hoping he could hear her and call to her. "Sebastian!" As she yelled the butler's name her lungs burned, the air carrying the whispers of Hell, her corset constricting her breathing even more. Soon she would have to leave, but she _must_ find her master first.

It was as she reached the center of the grand hallway that she heard a faint sound, it almost seemed like it was a memory, a sound she had almost forgotten. Over the bellowing flames she heard the familiar tune of the music box, its soft and somber melody playing as if the song was purposefully written for that night. Battling her way to Ciel's bedroom she heard more gunshots and glass shattering. Pausing to look outside one of the remaining windows, she could see the rumpled bodies of the servants.

Evangeline's heart sank at the sight. Mey-Rin was sprawled out upon the pathway in the rose garden, glasses on her forehead, rifle in hand, and her dark red hair, undone from its usual pigtails, fanned around her head. Blood seeped from her mouth and chest leaking onto the carefully placed stones, a few silver rose petals floating down around her. Next to Mey-Rin, on either side, was Bard and Finny. Bard was shot through the skull, his blood coating the fresh winter snow. His blue-grey eyes open in horror, the goggles around his neck shattered, a rifle in hand. His white chef's uninform was tainted in blood, not all of it his own. Bard's mouth that once housed his goofy smile was now squatted by a scream that would be forever locked in his throat. Finny was shot through the chest and was tangled within the sterling winter rose blush, each limb and petal coated in his innocence. His straw hat, which was usually around the gardener's neck, was blown away into an untouched patch of freshly fallen snow. Finny's optimistic aqua eyes were cut off from the beautiful moon light he enjoyed.

It was all too much.

Swallowing back her tears, Evangeline ran toward her master's bedroom. Silk skirts leaving butterfly light kisses on her ankles as they fluttered with the wind, the lace along the bottom slightly burnt from the inferno following her around, like a lost puppy. A puppy eager for her to take him home, but it would be the flames taking her home to Hell.

Bursting into Ciel's room she frantically searched for him as the flames engulfed his four-poster bed. She turned over his dresser, nightstand, and the trunk at the end of his bed, but couldn't find him anywhere. It was as she turned back towards the door that she found him curled in the corner of the room, dressed in his night wear, clutching his mother's music box. Sebastian, torn and frustrated, was crouched beside him trying to coax him into leaving the manor. Evangeline took one look at Ciel's face and knew.

"_My little love, do you wish to die tonight_?" She spoke softly and gently sat beside him, motioning for Sebastian to do the same. Ciel looked at her with his mismatched eyes in plain sight for her to see. Deep royal purple contrasting with ocean blue, a wonder she never thought she'd see in her life time. Evangeline smiled graciously and carefully pulled the small boy into her arms. Ciel complied, wrapped one arm around her, and cuddled into her chest, deeply inhaling her sweet scent. He was resolved.

Ever since that day, his accursed birthday, he swore he would be strong. Humiliate those who had him. Then she came.

Evangeline had showed him motherly love and affection. It was as if his mother had sent him a second chance. So it was as the gun fire started and the flames roared that he decided that _this_ time he would die with those he cared about.

It was as if she had known all along.

Kissing his slate hair, Evangeline held him close and hummed along to the tune of the music box and kept going long after it had stopped playing. Sebastian ran his ungloved fingers through her soft blond hair and caressed her cheek as he watched the flames submerge his only true companion and his master. Through all the pain Evangeline still smiled, closely clutching the young Earl to her, resisting the urge to fight her human instincts. Sebastian watched as the paleness of her skin was washed away and replaced by ash, watched as her hair caught flame and evaporated. Watched as the passion was pulled from her body.

Sebastian watched the young master he had taken care of for three years burn. The young man who had survived the first Phantomhive fire, who turned England on its toes, and who laughed and smiled when no one was watching. The Earl Ciel Phantomhive. Ciel, who stole the common sense away from a demon more cunning than he, the young man who was now cradled by a woman who loved him and protected him when he chose to die.

He watched both of the only people he cared about crumble, to rest peacefully within the fragments of the once noble house of Phantomhive. Sebastian watched it all and remained; for a demon cannot die, no matter how hard they wish.

And wish it he did. For a year Sebastian had pondered the crypt keeper's words. It was just recently he had understood a piece of what he had been referring. It was during the holiday and business trip to France that Sebastian had his epiphany.

Evangeline had written him and the young master a letter each. Within the letter addressed to him she had boldly confessed a love for the demon. Reading it through the first time was a bit of a shock. After another read through Sebastian had realized the subtle difference in her actions and the slight difference in how he started treating her after that night. The night in which Miss Elizabeth had held a masquerade ball in anticipation of the New Year. Evangeline and he had been invited to go as guests and naturally he escorted her.

In all Sebastian's years he had never seen a woman look more beautiful in black and crimson. Evangeline's gown was pure black silk in picked up layers that floated down from a blood colored corset. A similarly colored mask adorned her face and her golden hair was carefully pinned back to fall like water along her shoulders. If one didn't look close enough, one could swear that she was the late Lady Phantomhive incarnate.

Paralleled to her was the dashing butler who, at his master's request, wore a black suit and mask similar to that of the late Vincent. During the ball the two danced, watched as heads turned, and certain eyes filled with envy. It was almost perfect.

In a flash the ball was over and everyone left to return to their estates or decided it best to retire at the Middleford manor. Ciel, the other nobles, and servants slept soundly, whilst Evangeline and Sebastian remained awake. Before either realized it Sebastian's fingers were intertwined in her blond hair, his lips upon hers in a dominating kiss.

Moments passed and Evangeline was underneath him begging him to not let her go, for him to make love to her until the sun rose. He obliged willingly and with great enthusiasm as he helped her reach a level of bliss he hadn't known existed. Afterward she slumbered on his chest, her soft breathing calming the demon within.

That night Evangeline had seen the marking on his hand that sealed him to Ciel, but she didn't care. He wondered if she had known all along, but it didn't matter now. They were dead, Ciel and Evangeline. In the end he had set Ciel's soul free of their agreement, for he now knew the true beauty of humanity. He now knew what it meant to love.

He sat in the rubble of the manor for hours after the ashes had cooled and new snow began to fall. Sebastian then pulled out a letter from his breast pocket. The words scrolled on the front were: _To Evangeline, my love._ He had written a response to her letter and had intended to send it, but time had gotten the best of them on the trip. Opening it he read the lines she had never read.

_My dearest Evangeline,_

_Miss Elizabeth is being a bit of a handful but it is nothing I cannot handle. The young master is making quite a bit of progress here in France as Funtom should be opening new stores and a factory here soon. We should be returning shortly. _

_I miss you as well, much more than I thought I would. I never realized how much the morning routine would change without you around. I hope Mademoiselle Meow is doing well and is warm. _

_I must confess that your letter was a surprise, but a welcomed one._

_I miss the feel of your skin underneath my fingertips, the feel of your lips upon mine. I miss the way you sing in French when you clean, and how you call my name. I don't know if a demon can love, but if it is possible then what I write next I will prove to you when I return. _

_I love you, Evangeline._

_I know the societal rules, but I would break them all for you. The day after we return from France I will ask the young master's permission._

_Permission to more than just court you, that is if you'll have me. _

_~Sebastian _

Returning to Hell wasn't an option for him now. So Sebastian remained on earth, remained where Evangeline would be waiting for him. In the winter rose garden.

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Hope you enjoyed! Reviews would be most appreciated, as would faves!


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